Job openings at Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, employ over 330,000 colleagues across stores, distribution centres, and corporate offices.
Their recruitment spans a wide range of roles—from frontline shop and warehouse assistants to corporate functions in IT, procurement, and supply chain.
Current Job Opportunities at Tesco
Tesco Careers lists real-time positions at all levels, including roles such as:
- Store Colleague / Customer Assistant
- Café or Bakery Team Member
- Warehouse Operative (Day/Night shifts)
- Horser Deliveries / Click & Collect Drivers
- Management roles (Team Leader, Assistant Store Manager, Store Manager)
- Specialist corporate posts: e.g., Software Engineer, Buyer, Compliance & Standards Engineer. ambitionbox.com
These listings are updated daily, and you can filter by location, department, or contract type (full-time, part-time, temporary).
How to Apply for Job Openings at Tesco
Browse current vacancies on Tesco Careers. Then, create a profile or sign in.
Select between filling in your personal details or uploading a CV/resume. You must answer questions regarding your background and availability.
Some roles, especially in operations or hourly-paid, may require timed apps or scenario-based questionnaires.
The interview stage often includes one-to-one and team-based interviews to assess fit with values and the role.
Career Progression & Training
Frontline promotions: from Customer Assistant → Shift Leader → Assistant Manager → Store Manager.
Corporate trajectories: e.g., from Graduate/Trainee Buyer → Assistant Buyer → Buyer → Senior Buyer.
Specialist pathways: e.g., Software Engineer → Senior Engineer → Principal roles, with bonuses and car allowance uk.indeed.com.
They also offer structured development programmes, mentoring, on-the-job training, and e-learning via their “Colleague Academy”.
Salaries & Pay Rates
Their compensation ranges are competitive, particularly following the recent pay rise that positioned store-level wages ahead of the living wage and national average.
Hourly-Paid Colleague Roles
Customer Assistant / Shop Colleague: £12.02–12.90/hr (varies slightly by region and role).
In London, base pay increases to ~£13.15/hr Reuters.
Breakroom data (based on 1,051 respondents) updates pay ranges as of July 8, 2025 Breakroom.
UK National Pay Increase (April 2024)
Base pay across stores increased from £11.02 to £12.02/hr (+9.1%) from April 2024, outpacing the UK living wage of £11.44/hr.
London roles adjusted to £13.15/hr as part of this agreement
Tesco applied this increase from April 28, 2024, due to pay-period regulations.
Average Salaries by Role
Shop Assistant: £20,738–20,985/yr (£1,728/month) uk.indeed.com. Store Assistant (Shere, England): ~£21,800/yr Glassdoor.
Warehouse Operative: £20k–44k/yr Glassdoor. Shift Leader / Team Leader: ~£28,000–34,000/yr uk.jooble.org.
Engineering / IT senior roles: £60k–£84k/yr (e.g., Senior Software Engineer ~£84k; Warehouse Engineer roles include bonuses)
Salary Snapshot Table
| Role | Pay (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Customer Assistant | £12.02–12.90/hr |
| Shop/Store Assistant (annual) | £20,700–21,800 |
| Warehouse Operative | £20,000–44,000 |
| Shift/Team Leader | £28,000–34,000 |
| Store Manager | £49,000–50,000 |
| Senior Engineer | £60,000–84,000 |
Benefits & Perks
Benefits like pension contributions, discounts, training, and career progression make job openings at Tesco attractive long-term.
Despite occasional challenges around workload, break policies, and pay rollovers.
- Pension: generous matched contributions, up to 7.5%.
- Life cover: typically five times salary for eligible roles
- Holiday entitlement: 25 days + Bank Holidays, plus option to “buy” additional days.
- Staff discount: generally 10% on Tesco products, capped at ~£2,000 annual spend.
- Private medical insurance or health cash plan (for salaried and managerial roles).
Bonus Schemes
Operational roles get performance-related pay. There is training, development & career progression across all levels.
Corporate/Managerial roles: annual bonus ranging 3.5–45% of base salary, plus car allowance for senior positions.
Flexible working & breaks: part-time, job-share, term-time; career breaks; enhanced paternity leave (up to six weeks).
Pros & Cons According to Employees
Advantages:
- Competitive pay (above living wage; London premium).
- Flexible hours and part-time opportunities.
- Wide range of entry-level options.
- Structured training and clear career paths.
- Good discounts and robust pension/life insurance.
- Large-scale employer with internal mobility.
Challenges:
- Some roles are seen as stressful/understaffed.
- Break pay and some UK benefits (e.g., sick pay) may be limited.
- Pay rise delays (e.g., April 2024 delayed implementation) caused criticism among staff The Guardian.
Application Tips
Tailor your CV to Tesco values: Customer Focus, Responsibility, Teamwork, Innovation.
Prepare for scenarios like conflict resolution, customer complaints, and teamwork.
Show flexibility in hours and willingness to learn.
For technical roles, be ready for skills assessments or coding tests online.
Tesco vs Competitors (2025)
Job openings at Tesco stands out for career progression, consistent staff discount, and training options, but has limited overtime perks and sick pay unless salaried.
| Category | Tesco | Asda | Sainsbury’s | Aldi | Lidl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Pay (Hourly) | £12.02–13.15/hr (London premium) | £11.44–12.66/hr (region-dependent) | £11.95/hr standard | £12.40/hr starting (as of Feb 2025) | £12.00–13.15/hr depending on location |
| Overtime Pay | Limited overtime, no premiums | Some premium overtime rates | Standard pay (no premium commonly) | Paid overtime above contract hours | Paid overtime for all additional hours |
| Sick Pay | Statutory unless salaried | Limited (mostly statutory) | Enhanced sick pay for long-term staff | Statutory only | Statutory only |
| Staff Discount | 10% on Tesco items (up to £2k/year cap) | 10% off groceries | 10% off Sainsbury’s & Argos | No staff discount | 10% grocery discount |
| Holiday Entitlement | 25 days + bank holidays (FT) | 22 days + bank holidays | 22–25 days depending on role | 28 days incl. bank holidays (FT) | 30 days incl. bank holidays (FT) |
| Flexible Contracts | Part-time, job share, flexi-time available | Mix of flexible and fixed hours | Wide use of part-time and flexible contracts | Full-time mostly, limited flexibility | Mostly fixed hours, less flexibility |
| Career Progression | Strong internal mobility and promotions | Progression possible but less structured | Defined pathways in retail and corporate roles | Fast-tracked roles; high expectations | Clear roles but slow advancement |
| Training & Development | Colleague Academy, mentoring, upskilling | Basic training with team leaders | Training schemes and digital learning | Structured training, rapid onboarding | Structured but rigid training process |
| Bonuses / Perks | Annual bonus (managerial), car allowance | Small bonuses for peak periods | Bonus for some roles + tech loans | £1,000 joiner bonus (select roles, 2025) | Bonus schemes rare; performance incentives |
| Graduate Programmes | Yes, multiple business tracks (e.g. tech) | Limited graduate roles | Structured graduate scheme (Head Office) | Yes, high pressure but good pay | Management development programs |
| Warehouse Pay (Annual) | £20k–44k depending on role and shift | £22k–36k depending on depot | £21k–38k across UK | ~£30k+ base, plus bonus and shift pay | £26k–34k with bonuses depending on depot |
| Store Manager Pay (Annual) | £49k–50k | £44k–48k | £47k–52k | ~£60k–70k incl. car and bonus | ~£58k–65k incl. performance bonus |
| Company Size (UK) | ~330,000 employees | ~140,000 employees | ~189,000 employees | ~40,000+ UK employees | ~31,000 UK employees |
Final Thoughts
Job openings at Tesco offer a broad spectrum of employment, from frontline service positions to high‑value technical and managerial roles.
If you’re looking for a solid place to start, build a career, or pivot into specialist corporate work, Tesco is worth considering.
Explore roles today on their careers portal, apply strategically, and leverage the wealth of development opportunities.
